It was announced today that an Odessa Economic Development Corporation incentee, the TelVista Call Center on I-20, will close in September, laying off approximately 270 workers.

Upon opening, the Odessa Telvista location had an agreement with the Odessa Economic Development Corporation.

According to Odessa EDC President, Gary Vest, the agreement has run its course and was finished prior to the site closure announcement.

However, Telvista has a separate and ongoing tax abatement agreement with the city of Odessa. Vest says that will require tax recapturing with the dollar amount dependent on the actual closing date.

Well, there is going to be a lot of calculating going on by the various Ector County Taxing Entities. According to this spreadsheet on the Comptroller's Website, TelVista executed a 10-Year, 100% Tax Abatement on property values above $15,938 on 2/4/2004, effective 1/1/2004.

According to the Ector CAD, TelVista had taxable equipment and furniture worth $1,270,755 and taxable property worth $5,899,093. With a good 4 years left on the abatement, the amount of the penalty is really up to the terms of the contract. Even with the terms, it may be months before the settlement is reached, take AT&T/Cingular for example, they've been in abatement default for a while and the penalty still hasn't been figured, assessed and reported.

There is that myth that deaths comes in threes....well there are only two big call centers left in Midland/Odessa.